Man ordered to pay over £3,500 after wheel clamp and registration plates fly-tipped in Romsey
Test Valley Borough Council (TVBC) has successfully prosecuted a man from Totton after he dumped a yellow wheel clamp and car number plates in a hedge near Romsey last summer.
On 21 August 2023, a covert camera caught Francis Matthews, 66, pulling into a layby on Coldharbour Lane in his recovery vehicle, which was loaded with a car with a wheel clamp attached.
He was seen removing the clamp using an angle grinder and carrying it away before dumping it in the hedge.
Appearing at Southampton Magistrates Court on 3 April 2024, Mr Matthews pleaded guilty and was given a fine of £2,000 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £800 and costs of £753.67.
Portfolio holder for Recycling and Environmental Services, Cllr David Drew, said: “This result should act as a deterrent to anyone thinking about fly-tipping in our borough; nobody likes a fly-tipper. I’m grateful to the courts for taking this incident seriously and it illustrates our ongoing hard work to stamp out fly-tipping across Test Valley.”
People can report fly-tips to TVBC at www.testvalley.gov.uk/fly-tipping.